Dana Covell, 66, who owns an IT company, is running for Cajon Valley Union School District trustee representing Area 2.
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I believe I bring a unique perspective to the role of school board trustee. I have three children that have gone through CVUSD schools, I have been volunteering in those same schools for more than 10 years, and I have a strong IT background. Education technology is an increasingly pressing issue for today’s students.
Academic excellence, aging schools and changing technology are all very important issues facing our district.
I think our aging schools are rapidly becoming a bigger issue. We need to set aside more of the budget to dedicate to fixing some of the issues on our properties. I would really like to see maintenance programs that head off costly emergency repairs. I also want to foster arts of all kinds in our schools. Responsible use of technology and setting acceptable use policies will be another priority. In order to do all of these things, we must take a good hard look on how to modify the budget to fit it in.
We need to examine how we are using technology. We need to make sure that the ed tech we implement is actually designed to help our students increase their critical thinking skills. Reading should also remain a priority in the district. Proven technology, with proven methods and results, as well as targeted goals, should be adopted.
I think school community and student engagement are super important to increase attendance. When a child is really interested and engaged at school, absenteeism improves. Bring back music, physical and digital arts. There are also some programs that are being implemented in the district that have some very enticing flexibility built in for families who have a hard time with traditional scheduling. I would like to learn more about these options and if they are proving beneficial to the attendance record.
California itself is seeing an enrollment decline. Part of keeping Californians happy, and in the state, involves keeping taxes reasonable. We need to budget responsibly as to not create a necessity for bonds and higher taxes. We need to help keep young families in the area! I personally know several families that have left due to the cost of living in the area. Each one of those students represents part of the enrollment decline.
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We need to re-prioritize some of the district’s planning and spending. We need to fix some of our physical site maintenance issues before they become more expensive. We also need to beef up some of our programs that increase student engagement. In order to do that, we are going to have to take a hard look to find and eliminate waste. We may not be able to spend as much on travel or district events. We need to reassess what is working and what is not.
This question is hard to answer without a breakdown of the district’s special education needs and unfunded priorities. However, as with any program and any budget, it needs to be examined to determine what is working best and what portions need to be reimagined. Look for waste, eliminate it and increase efficiency. We also need to make sure to optimize the local control funding formula. Part of the formula that awards state and federal funds for special education programs to local schools is guided by general attendance levels.
I believe the compliance deadline for the strengthened mandates already passed in March 2026. The new policies should already be in place, and other directives from the state Department of Education should similarly be implemented by the given deadlines.
The most appropriate and beneficial role of technology in the classroom is vastly different for a kindergartener than it is for a child about to move on to high school. Education technology is a multibillion-dollar industry that is vying for a place in school budgets. Technology is ever-changing and fast-moving. It should be our goal as a district to implement proven tools that demonstrate superior safety and a great benefit to the development of knowledge and skills in an age-appropriate manner for our students.
Along with this technology should come clear goals. We supply a Chromebook to each student from an extremely young age, with a recommended typing program, yet the majority of the CVUSD students I know cannot type in a standard or efficient manner. How does this prepare them to further their skills and education? The reading programs and math programs we provide, are we checking if they work? Test scores are not showing improvements. It is extremely important that the technology we implement, no matter how flashy and fun or convenient it looks, actually works.
No, I did not use an AI agent. I did use a search engine, which likely uses AI, to locate information to refresh my knowledge on when exactly the new immigration policies were due. I also looked up an article that pertained to the local control funding formula for special education to fact-check that general attendance is part of the formula.
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